Blazers hire Nate McMillan as coach

PORTLAND, Ore., July 6 (UPI) -- Nate McMillan was named the new coach of the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday night.

McMillan leaves the Seattle Sonics after four years. During his tenure, Seattle was 212-183 overall. McMillan guided the Sonics to the playoffs twice, and had an 8-8 ledger in the post-season.

He spent his entire 12-year playing career in Seattle. In 796 career games as a player, he averaged 5.9 points, 6.1 assists and four rebounds per contest.

The Sonics did not re-sign McMillan when the season ended. At that time, his four-year contract expired.

In Portland, he will replace interim coach Kevin Pritchard, who took over for the fired Maurice Cheeks at mid-season.

In the 2004-05 campaign, McMillan guided the Sonics to a 52-20 record and the Northwest Division championship. Seattle advanced to the Western Conference semifinals before losing in six games to eventual NBA champion San Antonio.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today's UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.